


Coming Home

by Malind



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-18 07:28:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5905924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malind/pseuds/Malind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A woman's heart holds many secrets, even obvious ones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place sometime after DoC.
> 
> The Final Fantasy VII characters and universe belong to Square Enix. I make no profit from this fanfiction.

Leaning back against the open doorframe, despite Tifa's earlier urging that he go unwind on the couch, Barret watched the children clear supper's used dishes and silverware off of the table.  He'd missed Marlene so dearly that he couldn't bear to look away, especially not for a bit of relaxation.   The children worked steadily and with enthusiasm and laughter that had him smiling. 

He knew he'd been gone for far too long, so much so that Marlene looked to Cloud for guidance more than she did the gunman.  But that didn't bother him.  His main goal had always been her happiness, her future, and if Cloud helped him in that goal along the way, was there when he couldn't be, then Barret was happy to have Cloud be a part of their lives.

Marlene looked to the wall next to him and then to him and smiled.  "Can you turn on the light, daddy?"

"Yeah, sure."  He straightened and looked at the wall, finding the switch.

New light warmed the darkening room.  It also warmed the woman entering the room with a large tray.  Denzel trotted up to her, put his dishes on it, and then took the tray from her and followed behind Marlene as she gathered up the rest with his aid.

Tifa eyed Barret with a smirk and walked up to him, taking to leaning on the other side of the doorframe.  "I thought I told you to sit down.  You're not helping much by standing here. And probably ruining moral."

Barret smiled, still watching the children.  "I doubt that.  She's so happy.  Have I ever thanked you?"

"Yes.  On several occasions."  He could hear the smile in her voice.  She turned her head to watch them as well.  "But you usually say that when you're about to leave.  And you just got here.  Are you leaving so soon?"

"Nah.  It just...  It feels good to be here."

Tifa touched his arm, half of her warm fingers touching skin, the other half metal.  "You know you always have a home with us."

The gunman smiled down at her, but then to his confusion, she looked away, dropping her arm which crossed with her other one, her cheeks tinging with pink color.  "What's wrong?"

The woman smirked, huffing a small laugh that had trouble escaping her throat.  "Nothing.  It's just good to have you here."

He frowned down at her for a moment.  When she refused to make eye contact again, he shook himself mentally and turned his attention back to Marlene and Denzel as they walked into the kitchen with their load of dirty dishes.  Then she straightened and moved from his side.

"Seriously, go sit down," Tifa murmured over her shoulder, meeting his eyes briefly, walking back to the kitchen.  "I'm going to help them out and then I'll join you and we can talk about everything that's been happening.  Cloud and Shelke will be back later.  Then maybe we can all go out or something."

His frown took over again as he watched after her.  Walking?  Perhaps swaying would have been a better word for Tifa's forward movements.  Her loose long chestnut-brown hair swayed with every step along with her hips.  Barret shook his head at the sight, sure he was seeing something that wasn't there.  He'd been gone for far too long, was misreading. 

But in watching her, he couldn't help but think about when he'd first met his wife.  Her demure looks had resembled Tifa's look just then.  Then again, that had been years before, and he'd had little recent experience basking in a woman's affections. 

And Tifa was also 15 years his junior.  And beautiful, yes, and strong willed, and someone he cared deeply about, but yeah... 

Perhaps he was lonelier than he'd thought.

Getting rid of the frown with a growl, he turned around, walked into the living room, and let his body flop down onto the couch.  He heard its groaning protest, but the wood and screws held, so he let his head drape back onto the armrest.

Less than ten minutes later, he heard feet prancing up the stairs, along with a, "Good night, daddy!"

Before he could reply, Barret lifted his head in time to see the two children who were undoubtedly becoming teenagers disappear in the hallway upstairs.  He shook his head and, moving into father mode, wondered suddenly when he was going to have to get in between them.  They were still too young to worry about that though...  Right?  When had he first felt teenage bodily urges?  He couldn't remember and suddenly felt ancient.

A short time later, he heard quiet bare feet pad and a chair creak beside him.  He cracked his eyes open to see Tifa smiling warmly at him.  He couldn't help but smile back.  Even through everything they'd been through together and apart, eventually, she could always smile.  It was one thing he'd always loved about her and one of the reasons he'd taken her in and trusted her, well, besides the fact that she was a badass martial artist.

"Would you rather go to sleep?"

"Nah," he mumbled but nonetheless reclosed his eyes.  It was the saner thing to do as she watched him carefully.  "Just tell me about what's been going on."

Time ticked by.  Her quietness began to erode on him.  Then Barret's eyes flashed open when careful fingers drew thin braids off of his shoulder and neck.  He caught her gaze and tried in vain to control his surprise as her head whipped away.

"Sorry," she mumbled, sitting back in the easy chair, her cheeks again taking on color. 

He couldn't deny then that something was definitely going on between them that hadn't existed the last time they'd been close.  Or had it been there and he just hadn't noticed?

Words failed to form.  He didn't want to press the situation, still afraid he was completely misreading her.  Considering though how long and how well they knew one another, he felt he should have known the answer.

Her head turned back and she met his gaze with warm eyes, probably trying to figure out his reaction as well.  He still couldn't share a word of reassurance.  Or lust, if that was what she was hoping for.

Good god, they were as meek as sheep.  He couldn't help his half-laugh.

Her smile returned, although hesitant.  "What?"

Never taking his eyes off of her, he rolled onto his side and cautiously reached out with his metal hand to touch her, if she wanted him to.  Instant heat burned in her eyes as she leaned forward, bringing the metal to her cheek.  She kissed his palm and brought a fire to his own body.

She was so beautiful, so sweet, and so strong at the same time that he couldn't tell where one attribute ended and the other began.  And he wanted her, all of her, as she tilted her head as his large hand engulfed the side of her neck.  Her breathing hitched as she surrendered herself to his hesitant touches.  He gripped her shoulder and pulled her gently.  She came forward, onto her knees in front of the couch, her face so close to his.  Her hot, damp hand rested on his cheek. 

Watching him, slowly, she brought her lips to his.  The softness of her mouth brought a hardness to his groin. 

Tifa kissed him slowly, deliberately, as if she wanted to remember every touch of their skin.  He let his hand weave into her hair and she moaned lightly, deepening the kiss.  She tasted so sweet and he knew then she'd eaten a peach while she'd helped in the kitchen.

The woman pressed closer, her chest against his shoulder, and moaned when he bit lightly at her tongue.  The sound burned him.  Wanting her closer, he sat up, pulling away from the kiss, gripped her underneath her arms and lifted her much smaller body.  She had no hesitation in straddling his lap, her hips in the air, so that she could press the fullness of her torso against him, as her mouth found his again.

Her body pressed harder and he leaned back, letting her lay on top of his partially reclined body.  The whole of her body was hot and damp, and he could only imagine the wetness between her legs.  The thought of it made his cock twitch in anticipation.

Strong hands gripped her face, forcing her head back slightly so he could look at her.  With her dark eyes clouded with lust, the skin her mouth reddened from his stubble, her breaths puffing out as uneven pants, she was absolutely stunning.  And too far out of his league.  "Fuck, Tifa, what are we doing?"

Tifa blinked at him a couple of times, probably trying to get rid of some of the haze in her mind.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take her until she cried out his name, but the suddenness of it, the absurdity of it.  If anything, she should have been doing this with someone her own age.  Hell, Cloud even, although he didn't think that guy was good enough for her either, despite everything.  Then again, was any man good enough for her? 

Barret shook his head and then stopped when the motion brought a frown to her face.

"You...  You don't want me?" 

The man felt his jaw drop a bit and he shook his head again.  "I'd be a fool, if I didn't.  But hell, Tifa..."  He ran a finger along the redness of her chin.  She sucked in her breath, her eyes closing, the rawness of her skin probably heightening her senses.  "Don't you have some man kissing you?"

"No," she whispered absentmindedly.  "I was..."

Barret frowned when she stopped, but kissed her jaw, unable to help himself.  "You were what?"  His lips moved to her neck as she tilted her head back.

"I-I was...  I was saving myself for you."

What the fuck?  The words stopped him dead and pushed her away from him so that he could look at her.  She opened her eyes and he watched as her face grew increasingly agitated. 

The mere idea of her saving herself shocked him to no end, let alone the reality of it.  She'd been saving herself for how long?  Years?  Good god.  And he hadn't even noticed.

"Tifa, I..."  He didn't have a clue what to say.  When her cheeks only reddened further, he whispered to her, tying to be stern but caring at the same time, "No, Tifa.  No, I don't deserve that."

Chestnut hair played over her face when she shook her head.  Her face suddenly crinkled up, as if she was near tears.  "Don't say that.  I'm no better than you.  I've done plenty of wrong things.  I've hurt people.  I've lied.  I've killed more than I want to remember."

"Tifa," he murmured, putting his hands on either side of her face so that she couldn't look away.  "Don't think that way.  You've always done what you think is right."

Tears finally fell from her eyes when she blinked, hitting his fingers.  "So have you."

The three words, the sincere pleading of her voice broke something inside of him.  And he kissed her again, fully, with all of his pent up passion.  He wanted to believe her as she seemed to believe herself.  

And as she ground herself against him, he was finding it increasingly difficult to hold himself to his proclaimed 'no'. 

'Help me,' his mind pleaded uselessly.

No longer trusting himself to stay in control, gripping her thighs, he stood with minimal effort.  Brown eyes looked at him, then she smiled and kissed his neck.  He stalked to the stairs, up them, and into the spare bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them, as she drove him crazy with her mouth on his neck and shoulders.  

He laid her on the bed carefully, even while knowing what her body could handle, and kissed her slowly on the lips, her legs never leaving his waist.  The woman ground at him and he ground at her, quickly picking up a rhythm that left them breathing heavily through their noses.  Finally, when Barret was sure he was about to hyperventilate, he pulled away, gripping her hips so that her legs were forced to let go. 

When free, he leaned back over and unbuttoned her shorts.  She helped by pulling them and her panties off in one smooth motion, tossing them to the floor. 

In nothing but a tank top, Tifa's breaths coming in shallow pants, her legs pressed together, her hips grinding slightly, she looked exquisite. 

As she watched, he pulled off his own sleeveless shirt, unbuttoned his pants, slipping them off in one fluid motion, although he had to step out of each leg.  Hard and ready, she looked at him with careful eyes and he almost thought she was going to change her mind. 

Instead, she sat up and took the length into her hand, bringing him to shutter and draw in a breath through his teeth.  The simple contact felt impossibly good, but he wasn't going to let it go that way.  He grabbed her hand, pulling it away, and she let go after a tiny struggle, looking up at him with confused eyes.

Bending his knees slightly, he bent down, picked her back up as if she was his bride, and laid her in the middle of the bed.  Her legs remained closed, even when he got up on the bed and edged to get between them.  Large hands gripped her knees and he urged her to release the tension.  After a small battle, she let her legs be spread, her knees still bent.  Then her eyes went wide when he didn't move forward, but instead brought his face to the folds between her legs.  He enjoyed her shocked expression almost as much as he enjoyed the scent of her.

Barret licked at her, separating the folds with his tongue, licking the full length of her until he came to her clit.  He flicked it with his tongue bringing her body to shudder, her back arching, as she opened her legs wider, inviting him in. 

Nose to her pubic hair, he suckled her, nipped at her, tongued her folds until she was gasping and rolling her hips against his face. 

With his human hand, he fingered her entrance, making her beg with, "Please... Please."

The man pushed the thick finger into her into her slick hole, and she lifted her hips off of the bed, pushing into him all the more.  If she'd felt any pain, she didn't show it.  He finger fucked her and suckled her until she was a screaming mess, although she attempted to cover her cries with her fist in her mouth which she gnawed at.  Then he felt her pussy tense repeatedly with the rest of her body as she orgasmed, calling out his name with choked breaths.

He kept licking at her, not quite ready to move away.  She moaned weakly, her body jerking slightly whenever he tongued her engorged clit.  Quickly enough, he had her panting again, but then she was pushing at his face, trying to move away and further up the bed.

"God, I don't think I could take that again," Tifa breathed when he tried to follow her.  She huffed a laugh.  "Just give me a minute, for fuck's sake!"

Propping himself up on his elbows, he grinned at her.  She grinned back weakly, her head now resting on a fluffy pillow.

"You taste so good, it's hard to stop."

She hushed him, grinning fully, trying to close her legs, but she couldn't with his shoulders there.  "You're making me wonder what I was waiting for.  But I didn't think you would..."  She sighed, throwing her arms back.  "But I was tired of waiting."

"If I'd had a clue you were waiting..."

The woman lifted her head up slightly and eyed him.  "You didn't know?"

Barret sat up on his heels, grabbed her waist, and pulled her until she was straddling him once again.  His erection rested between them, pre-cum billowing up as she pressed against him.  "No...  I-I probably didn't even want to consider it and chance being wrong."

Tifa licked his mouth, inviting him into a kiss.  "I imagined you inside of me.  All the time.  You wouldn't believe how many times I came thinking about it."

The man kissed her then, but also urged her to stand.  When she was forced to pull her mouth away, he whispered, "Take it.  It's yours."

She met his gaze, then gripped his length, lowering herself slowly, until the head pushed against her tight hole.  She kissed him for a moment, then rested her head against his shoulder as she lowered herself further.  She hissed slightly and he knew she was feeling pain.  He thought for a moment to stop her, remembering what he was taking from her.  What she was giving him.  But she pressed on until, with all of her wetness, he suddenly slid inside of her. 

When they were groin to groin, she stopped and panted, and he relished in the tight feel of her, trying not to come.  But as her insides seemed to twist against him, it proved to be a heroic effort.  She kissed him feverishly, as if the kisses were her breath.  The kisses weren't helping his control in the least.  He grabbed ahold of her cheeks, stopping the kisses, hushing her. 

She was quiet for a moment, then she murmured, "Does that feel good?"

Eyes closed, he huffed.  "What do you think?"

"Tell me."

"If you move, I'm going to fucking come in you."

"Move like this," she murmured as she pulled up, using his shoulders for leverage.

"Fucking hell," he growled and gripped her shoulders until she stopped moving.

Her voice teasing, she purred, "You're as explosive in bed as you are on the field."

It took everything in him to not throw her back on the bed and pound her until he came deep inside of her.  Then something occurred to him that should have occurred to him from the start.  The idea gave him the control he needed.  He examined her for a moment, as if he could see the answer, and then asked, "Are you on something?  Protection, I mean."

Tifa blinked at him, her mind apparently not anywhere near that idea.  "Ah, no.  This...  I wasn't..."

"You do know how this works?"

A frown darkened her.  "Yes, of course, I do.  I'm not a child."

"Then we should be using something."  He frowned back at her when she looked away.  "You do want me to use something, don't you?"  Then he remembered that she'd been thinking about all of this and whatever else for who knew how long.  Biting her lip, she still refused to look at him.  "Tifa...  I will come in you, if you want me to."  When she still didn't answer, her face scrunching as she looked near tears, he admitted softly, "I do want to."

Dark brown eyes met his own.  Then she did cry.  "I'm sorry.  I'm being stupid about this.  I don't-"

Silencing her, he kissed her, holding her against him so that she couldn't move away.   He bucked his hips slightly in a rhythm that quickly hardened him again.  He kissed and licked at the wetness on her cheeks when she began to move with him. 

"I love you, Tifa.  I've loved you since the first day we met."  She purred at the words, pressing against him.  He rolled her onto the bed, never leaving her warmth, and then pushed into her over and over again as she clawed at his back, meeting every one of his thrusts with her hips.  "You wanting me like this...  God..."

Her moans became gasps and he knew she was close again.  He pulled up her tank top, taking a nipple into his mouth, sucking on it, wondering what she'd taste like if she did indeed carry his child.  Her breath caught in her throat, her back arched, her nails dug in, and she tightened repeatedly around his erection, trying to draw the cum out of him.  He relented, pounding into her a couple more times before he felt his groin tighten and release stream after stream into her willing body.

She stroked his back as the trembles of his body wore off, then weaved her hands into his braids and pulled him into another kiss.  After tasting her for several more minutes, he finally rolled off of her and onto his side, letting her legs relax, but pulled her against him.  His hand went to her stomach, unable to help it.

"You do realize, if you have my baby, we're going to have to get married."

Tifa huffed, tilting her head back so she could look at his face.  "Is that supposed to scare me?"

"Maybe."

"Well..."  She formed a crooked smile.  "I was hoping you were going to stay here and marry me either way."

It was Barret's turn to blink at her.  "Are you asking me?"

"Maybe."

"Well, if you are, then my answer is yes."

"Good." 

He bent his head and kissed her, glad he was finally home.


End file.
